The present invention relates generally to plug and receptacle connectors, and more particularly to a connector having an engagement means that is wear resistant and which provides a point of shielding contact.
Plug and receptacle connectors are commonly used to connect electrical transmission cables to electrical components. Often these connectors employ a plug connector terminated to the transmission cable and a receptacle connector terminated to a circuit board. In these connectors, the plug connector typically has a recessed shield within an insulative housing that engages a shielded housing of the receptacle. This engagement typically involves metal to plastic contact. Metal engagement arms on one connector will engage an opposing plastic surface of the other connector prior to engaging the recessed shield. This plastic to metal contact may result in abrasion and wear of the plastic mating surfaces and deterioration of the mating engagement arms of the shield to the point where the engagement of the two connectors is compromised. Furthermore, debris created by the wearing of the plastic mating surfaces could adversely affect the electrical performance of the connectors.
Furthermore, when such connectors are used in high speed data transmission applications, the amount of electromagnetic or radio frequency interference increases. This may be reduced by shielding. One solution to this problem has been to use a capacitive gasket. However, this solution is costly and requires additional space in the connector system. It is therefore desirable to provide a connector system that is wear-resistant and which provides shielding against the aforementioned interference.
The present invention is directed to a connector system and connect that overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art.